I never experienced a "wow factor" when using CPAP. Rather, I noticed a gradual improvement in both the quality of my sleep and of my waking hours. When I had my first discussion regarding sleep apnea with my doctor almost five years ago he said "You probably have no idea just how exhausted you are....

Komodo, I'm REALLY sorry to hear that your having such problems with Landauer Metropolitan. I've been dealing with them for a number of years and have to say that I have zero complaints thus far. In fact, quite the contrary. They're forever sending me automated voicemail messages reminding me that I...

Obviously my new-found technological acumen does not extend to successfully posting a message to this site! Sorry, the above is from me!

Thanks for the highly specific warnings! I'll bear them in mind when I get home tonight and confront the machine!

Thank you all for your great suggestions regarding my recent bout of difficulties with using the CPAP for more than a few hours each night. The concensus seems to be that I try to reduce the pressure and see if that helps. However, I'm not entirely sure that's possible with the CPAP I have. If anyon...

So, here I am six months into my CPAP therapy and, in the last four weeks, I've suddenly developed difficulties keeping the mask on all night. I seem to be waking up 2 or 3 hours after going to bed coughing and spluttering badly enough to take the mask off and leave it off for the rest of the night....

Blair,

Sorry for the techno-glitch. The message above is from me.

Kurtchan

When I went to see my doctor three weeks ago, I asked him to prescribe a hybrid mask for me to use in addition to/in lieu of the Swift nasal that I'm currently using. There have been a few nights when I can't use the Swift because of nasal congestion due to cold or allergies. The doctor dutifully (a...

J - with most heated humidifiers, you have to really "crank" them up to get any heat out of them, so there's no problem having cool, somewhat humidified air if you want it.

I pulled out the Swift that I had been given early on in my CPAP therapy about a month ago to give it another try. As much as I liked my ComfortCurve, I wasn't able to make it work for me while side sleeping and I was getting a stiff back from sleeping in one position all night long. My initial anxi...

I used the ComfortCurve for more than a month and really liked it. I switched to the Swift Nasal Pillows, but would still consider the CC as my backup mask. I found it very comfortable and, as long as I slept on my back, had limited leaks. Every time I tried to sleep on my side, the nasal interface ...

Larissa, Glad you were proactive and were able to get a prescription from the doctor. Hope it helps! Also, the new headgear will certainly be an improvement, although you may want to wash it -- or at least rinse it in clear water -- before you use if for the first time. Please let us know how things...

Melissa, I agree with you wholeheartedly and am delighted that you've found the information on this site helpful in preparation for your sleep study. I discovered this site about a month before my first study and, once I had had the study, came back to ask questions and get suggestions on how to be ...

Larissa, I agree with Maryb -- it sounds like you're having an allergic reaction to something, not just irritation or acne. In addition to covering the headgear, I would suggest changing from regular dishwashing soap to "Seventh Generation" dishwashing detergent. It is available in most grocery stor...

Doug, Though I haven't used the mask fitting part of cpap.com, I've heard from others on this board that even their favorite masks turn up as "not a good fit" for their particular features. I used the Activa for quite awhile and was very satisfied with the low leak rate despite all of my flailing ar...